


Home Is Where My Horse Is

by theamd426



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Alex Mercer & Carrie Wilson Friendship, Alex Mercer & Julie Molina are Best Friends, Alex Mercer Has Anxiety (Julie and the Phantoms), Alex Mercer Has Bad Parents (Julie and The Phantoms), Alive Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Bisexual Julie Molina, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby is Not Trevor Wilson, Established Chad Danforth/Ryan Evans, Everyone Needs A Hug, Evil Caleb Covington, F/M, Foster Care, Gay Male Character, Good Parent Ray Molina, Group Home, Hurt Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lesbian Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson Has ADHD (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson has history with everyone (Julie and the Phantoms), M/M, Mentioned Caleb Covington, Nick Danforth-Evans - Freeform, Oblivious Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Pansexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Past Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Past Child Abuse, Past Luke Patterson/Julie Molina (Julie and the Phantoms), Protective Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Protective Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Ray Molina Adopts The Phantoms, Reggie Peters Has ADHD (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters Has Bad Parents (Julie and The Phantoms), Reggie Peters Needs a Hug (Julie and The Phantoms), Soft Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), alex mercer foster care, reggie peters foster care
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29532894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theamd426/pseuds/theamd426
Summary: "Oh my god, Reggie!" Alex said. He dropped his textbook on the floor and ran towards the boy hugging him. He looked the boy up and down and frowned when he noticed the bruise on his face. The bruise that most likely came from Reggie's previous caregiver Caleb.Alex, Luke, and Reggie all met in a group home run by Caleb Covington. Both Alex and Luke were able to get out fairly quickly; Luke went back to his parents while Alex was fostered by the Molina's. Reggie, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Reggie Peters, Carlos Molina & Julie Molina & Ray Molina, Chad Danforth & Nick (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Nick/Carrie Wilson, Reggie Peters/Alex Mercer/Julie Molina/Ray Molina/Carlos Molina, Ryan Evans & Nick (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 35
Kudos: 123





	1. A New Placement

**Author's Note:**

> So I changed the ages for most of the characters.
> 
> Reggie Peters: 15 years old, going into his Sophomore year of high school.  
> Julie Molina: 15 years old, going into her Sophomore year of high school.  
> Alex Mercer: 16 years old going into his Junior year of high school.  
> Luke Patterson: 16 years old going into his Junior year of high school.  
> Flynn: 15 years old, going into her Sophomore year of high school.  
> Willie: 15 years old going into his Sophomore year of high school.  
> Carrie Wilson: 15 years old, going into her Sophomore year of high school.

Ray had his kid's last day of school before winter break planned out. He would pick up Alex and Julie from school and take them out to lunch to celebrate finishing their midterm exams before they went and picked up Carlos to go Christmas tree hunting. They were supposed to spend the entire night together as a family, watching holiday movies and drinking hot chocolate. But now, it looks like things were changing. 

Ray sighed as he hung up the phone, and he immediately went onto his laptop to start a Walmart pickup. He needed to make sure that there was plenty of food in the house. He looked up and smiled as Alex, Julie, and Carlos walked through the front door. Carlos immediately turned the tv on and started up his PS4. Alex and Julie headed straight into the kitchen to grab a snack.

“Hey, dad,” Julie said. She set her bag down on the table and went in to hug him.

“Hey, baby girl,” he said, giving her a tight squeeze. “How did your pre-calc exam go?” 

Julie looked to Alex giving him a nervous glare. Ray took a deep breath. He had a feeling he knew what that look meant, but then again, the two had a habit of pulling a bait and switch.

“I think I aced it!” Julie exclaimed.

“I knew you would,” Ray said as he high-fived Julie. He then turned to Alex and smiled. “How was APUSH?

Alex took a deep breath as he started to clean an apple thoroughly. He looked up at Ray and just shrugged. 

“I’m sure you did fine,” Ray said, hugging the boy. 

“I don’t know,” Alex said, taking a bite out of his apple. “I feel like it could have gone better. I probably got a four on my essay. There’s no way Mr. Mendoza will give me a five.”

“Yes, but a four is still really good! Considering, he grades them harsher than the actual AP exam,” Ray said. 

“Yeah, I guess your right,” Alex said as he took a deep breath and sat down in the chair next to Ray. 

Alex glanced over at Ray’s laptop, confused. They always did their grocery runs on Sunday.

Ray huffed and sat down next to Alex. “Can you please go get Carlos for a second?” he asked Julie. 

Julie nodded and went into the living room to drag her brother away from the PS4.

“Is everything okay?” Alex asked.

“Everything’s fine,” he said, reassuring Alex. “I just need to run something by you guys. That’s all.”

Alex slowly nodded his head before realizing what this could be concerning. Julie had mentioned a similar meeting before he came into their home. 

Julie and Carlos finally made their way into the kitchen after Carlos got killed in his Fortnite battle. 

“Are you kidding me?” Carlos yelled in frustration.“Dad, Julie just made me lose my match!” 

“You can start a new one later. We need to have a family discussion,” Ray said. 

Alex blushed when Ray mentioned him as part of their family. Even though the boy had only been living with them for nine months, he still wasn’t sure if he was an official member of the Molina family. Even though Ray had given him a bedroom, paid for drum lessons, helped him get for his first date with Willie, and even had a matching Christmas Stocking made, he still felt like this wasn’t real. He wasn’t really apart of this family. 

“So,” Ray said, making sure that everyone was paying attention. “I got a call from Linda from Social Services today, and she was wondering if we would be interested in taking in another kid.”

“Girl or boy?” Julie asked, hoping the answer would be a girl. 

“A boy, he’s 15 and...” ray took a deep breath and looked at Alex. “He’s been staying at the Covington Home for Boys.” 

Alex took a deep breath and took another bite of his apple. He hadn’t thought of that place since he moved in with Molina’s, and he wasn’t exactly keen on reliving his memories. But, he remembered his time there was rough, and there was no way he was going to deny any child’s chance to escape. 

“When will he move in?” Alex asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon. Are you sure you guys are okay with taking in a new placement before Christmas?”

Alex nodded his head. He couldn’t imagine spending the holidays at that horrible place. He was lucky that he only had to spend a couple of months there before his social worker had found a family that was willing to take in an openly gay teen. 

Alex looked at Carlos and Julie and gave them pleading eyes to agree to let the poor kid stay. The two immediately smiled and approved as well. There was enough love to go around.

“Perfect,” Ray said, picking up his phone. “I’ll give Linda a callback and let her know that we will take him in. Do you think Luke would be willing to give you guys a ride home after school?” 

Alex nodded his head. He knew Luke would do anything to help a kid that was in the care of Caleb Covington. That was where they met, of course. 

“I’ll double-check when he comes over tonight,” Alex assured Ray.

“Please do not be up all night,” Ray begged. 

“Relax,” Alex said. “I’m just helping him rehearse his monologue for his drama exam.”

“I still can’t believe he signed up for that class as an elective,” Julie said, holding back her laughter. 

“I can’t believe he lost the bet and had to do it,” Alex laughed. 

Ray smiled at Julie and Alex and hoped that the new kid would fit right in with his new siblings. 

********************************

Ray came down the stairs, checking to make sure everything was ready for the new placement tomorrow. The spare bedroom was vacuumed and had fresh sheets. He had a grocery pickup scheduled for nine in the morning, which gave him plenty of time to drop all of the kids off at school for their last exam and get all of the groceries put away and the snack basket filled before he needed to and meet his new child. There was just one little problem; he couldn’t find the snack basket. 

Ray had gotten the snack basket as a precaution after the family had gotten their foster care license, but they didn’t need it with Alex. His parents had kicked Alex out after they caught him kissing another boy, and while The Molina’s weren’t his first foster placement, his short stay at The Covington Home for boys had been less than ideal. The boy, thankfully, didn’t get any long-term scarring from his stay there. However, after getting sent a briefing on their new placement, Ray decided it would be best to bring back the snack basket. 

His search continued upstairs when he spotted Julie lying on her bedroom floor going over Biology notes. 

“Hey, Mija,” he said, knocking on the door. “Why aren’t you with the boys in the studio?”

“They needed some private time,” Julie said, taking off her glasses. “I think they’re just reminiscing on their time at Caleb’s. Luke doesn’t talk about it much, but Caleb really screwed with his head.”

“Yeah, I bet,” he said, taking a seat at the edge of Julie’s bed. “Look, I haven’t told Alex or Luke yet but, the kid we’re bringing in has been in Caleb’s care for two years.”

“So does that mean-” 

“-Yeah, they probably knew him.”

Julie got up from the floor and sat beside her dad. She looked up at him with concerned eyes. 

“Why haven’t you told them?” Julie asked.

“You know how Alex gets. He worries about the slightest things. And Luke will automatically jump to conclusions about who he thinks is moving in. I just don’t want to get their hopes up. Especially since-”

“-They’re worried about their old roommate,” Julie interrupts. 

“Exactly, do me a favor and just keep an eye on them at school,” he said, patting her knee. 

“Sure thing,” she said, smiling. “We don’t want Alex going into a panic attack on the first day of Christmas break. Speaking of which, when are we getting our tree?”

“I’m not sure yet, Mija,” he said, getting up from his daughter’s bed. “Let’s play it by ear and see how the new boy is adjusting. I think this will be his first real Christmas in at least two years, maybe longer.” 

“Smart, don’t overwhelm the kid, anything else,” she said, making a mental checklist.

“Do you know where the snack basket is?” 

“Luke hijacked it and put it in the studio last week when we were helping him study for his math midterm.”

“Thanks, Mija,” he said, leaving the room.

Ray walked back out to the studio to grab the basket when he overheard Luke and Alex having a conversation on the studio floor. 

“I just hope he’s okay,” Luke said as he flopped down onto a pillow. 

“Yeah, I know,” Alex said, staring at the floor. “It’s just not fair that we got out before him.”

“I wrote him a letter when I got back home,” Luke said, smiling. “I doubt Caleb gave it to him, but I was hopeful.”

Alex smiled at Luke and held his hand. They both laid in the studio in silence. 

“Hey boys,” Ray said as he opened the door to the Studio. “Do you mind if I take the snack basket? I promise I’ll get a new one for out here.” 

“Go for it,” Alex said as he got up and emptied the basket filled with nut-free snacks. 

“Thanks,” Ray said, taking the basket from Alex. He lingered for a moment before turning to both boys. “You know you guys can talk to me about what happened at the group home, right? It wasn’t your fault.”

Alex nodded his head. He trusted Ray, but he didn’t want to think about his time there any more than he had to. 

“Okay, well, it’s getting pretty late. Luke, you may want to get home before your parents get worried.” 

Luke nodded his head and got up from the floor.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Alex,” he said, hugging him. “Goodnight, Mr. Molina.” 

“Goodnight, Luke,” Ray said as Luke was walking out the door. “Why don’t you stop by on Saturday and say hi to our new placement. I think he would like that.”

“Sure thing,” he smiled before the boy headed towards his car. 

Ray walked over and hugged Alex before ushering him out of the Studio and into the main house to get ready for bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this first chapter! I've been kind of in a depressive rut since this pandemic started, and I haven't really written prose in a year. Bear in mind I'm a bit rusty, but I'm trying to get back in the swing of writing. Let me know what you guys think, and the second chapter should be up later today or tomorrow.


	2. Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are you sure you have everything?" Ray asked, hoping the kid had maybe forgotten something in the house.
> 
> The boy just timidly shook his head, not even bothering to look up at him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This chapter has a scene that has been edited* - thanks to WillowFaerie82 for the suggested change.

“So,” Julie asked, putting her cereal bowl in the sink. “When will the new kid get here?”

“I’m going to leave around 11 to go pick him up,” Ray said, sipping his coffee. “But it may take me a few hours since I need to sign some paperwork and go over his history with his social worker. We should be back around 3.

“Can we bake cookies while we wait then?” Julie asked.

“Yeah, as long as you guys don’t destroy my kitchen,” he said.

Julie and Carlos both gave each other a high five. As she turned to do the same to Alex, she noticed that his mind was on something other than cookies.

“Wait, you’re picking him up?” Alex asked. “Why isn’t his social worker dropping him off?”

Ray let out an exasperated sigh.

“It’s because they’re shutting down the group home,” he said, smiling at Alex. “And his social worker is too-”

“Wait, are you serious?” Alex asked in disbelief. “Caleb is getting shutdown? What happened?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “All I know is that they have been scrambling for the past two days trying to find new homes for these boys.”

“But they did, right?” he asked. “They found new homes for everyone?”

“I’m pretty sure they did.

Alex looked lost in thought for a few moments before looking up and grabbing his book bag.

“We should probably leave for school,” he said.

“We still have like fifteen minutes before we need to go,” Ray said, looking down at his phone to check the time.

“Yeah, I know. I just, I need to talk to Luke,” he said, putting his bowl in the sink. “Please.”

“Okay,” he said, grabbing his keys. “CARLOS, We’re leaving early. Let’s go!”

“What about breakfast?” Carlos asked, rushing down the stairs with his book bag in hand.

Ray handed him a package of pop-tarts that he swore he would get rid of and ushered all of the kids out the door.

Alex jumped out of the car the moment Ray pulled up to the high school and ran inside to find Luke. As always, Luke was in the music room strumming on his guitar and working on some song lyrics when Alex found him.

“He’s safe,” Alex said, out of breath from his sprint to the music room.

“Who’s safe?” Luke asked, putting his guitar down.

“Reggie, or at least I think he’s safe. He could still be in some crappy foster home, but the main point is that he’s not with Caleb anymore.”

“How do you know?” Luke asked, getting up from his seat.

“Ray told me that they’re shutting down Caleb. He’s out,” Alex said, tearing up.

“Oh, thank god,” Luke said, giving Alex the biggest hug.

The two boys stayed hugging for several minutes until the first bell rang. That’s when they sadly broke apart and headed to their respective classrooms to take their final exams.

********************************

Ray’s heart ached as he looked at the pale, brown-haired boy seated next to him in his car. His eye was black and blue, and he had a cut on his lip. Ray could tell that he was scared out of his mind.

His heart broke as he watched the boy clutch onto a Walmart bag that seemed to hold what little he owned. While he was trained for scenarios like this, he never thought he would actually have a placement that practically came with nothing. He didn't understand why as well. Alex had shown up with a duffle bag filled with clothes and a few personal belongings. 

"Are you sure you have everything?" Ray asked, hoping the kid had maybe forgotten something in the house.

The boy just timidly shook his head, not even bothering to look up at him. 

He put the key into the ignition and exhaled as he started his car. Right before he grabbed the steering wheel, he looked over at the boy and smiled at him.

“Have you eaten anything today?” Ray asked, hoping to break the ice.

The boy timidly shook his head.

“Okay,” he said calmly. “Well, we have about a 45-minute drive ahead of us, and I haven't had a chance to eat since breakfast; why don’t we grab something to eat on the road?”

Ray looked at the boy, hoping to get some kind of response from him. But again, nothing. 

“What would you want to get?” Ray asked, hoping to get a verbal answer from the boy.

“I'm okay with whatever you want,” the boy said timidly.

Ray sighed. While yes, he did receive a verbal answer, he still felt like he wasn't getting through with the boy.

“How about we grab a burger?” He asked, hoping the boy would like his suggestion.

“Okay,” the boy said, keeping his expression stoic.

"Well then, let's get out of here," he said, putting his car into drive.

Ray had a feeling that it was going to take some time to get through to this boy. It wasn't easy with Alex, and he had a feeling it was going to be even harder this time.

As Ray pulled out of the group home's driveway, the boy looked back at the building he lived in for two years and hoped that he would never have to see those doors again.

********************************

The boy looked at the house in awe as Ray pulled into the driveway. The house was nicer and bigger than any of the previous foster homes that he had lived in. Ray grabbed the trash from their burger run and threw it in the outside bin. He watched as the boy slowly got out of the car and walked towards the house, taking everything in.

Ray opened the door to the smell of fresh-baked cookies, and two of his children were having a heated discussion at the kitchen table.

“I don’t understand why you signed up for three AP classes if you didn’t want to do the work?” Julie asked.

“The workload isn’t the issue,” Alex said, putting his head down on the table. “It’s the fact that he gave us homework to do over the break.”

“You’ll live,” Julie said, nudging his shoulder.

Ray didn’t want to interrupt the conversation between the two, but he thought it was best to introduce them to their newest family member.

“Guys,” he said, patting the boy on the shoulder. Both of his kids turned their attention to him. Alex’s face immediately turned white. “This is-”

“-Oh my god, Reggie!” Alex said, leaping up from his chair and sprinting toward the brown-haired boy.

He immediately engulfed him into a hug before the poor boy had any idea of what was happening.

“I can’t believe it’s actually you,” he said, tearing up.

“A-Alex?” Reggie said in disbelief. “Is it really you?”

Alex hugged the boy tighter, not wanting to let him go. 

"Yeah, buddy," he said through his tears. "It's really me."

The two stayed engulfed in their hug for a few minutes. Neither one of them wanted to pull away. At that point, Julie had figured out exactly how Reggie and Alex knew each other. 

"I"m just so relieved that you're safe," Alex said, pulling away from the hug to wipe his eyes. 

"So, it's safe here?" he asked, reassuringly.

"Yeah, you're safe here. The Molina's are safe."

Reggie gave the biggest sigh of relief. For the first time in years, he was starting to feel safe truly. 

"What happened to your face?" Alex asked as he went to take a better look at the boy. 

"Caleb got mad at me the other day," he said.

Alex suspected more to the story, but he didn't want to push the subject further. Especially with Julie and Ray present. 

"Do you want me to go call Luke?" Julie asked, not wanting to interrupt the moment between the two. However, she had a feeling that this was something that Luke needed to be apart of. 

"L-Luke's here?" Reggie asked, surprised that the two had managed to stay together. 

"He's back with his parents," Alex reassured him. "But, they only live fifteen minutes away."

"He's over here all the time," Ray interjected. 

"Oh, thank god!" Reggie said, giving Alex another hug. 

At that moment, Julie slipped out of the living room to call Luke. She couldn't wait to get these three boys back together again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is finished! I'm so sorry for hurting Reggie! I was planning on finishing this part yesterday afternoon, but I kept having a hard time writing sad Reggie since he's usually so bubbly and happy.  
> Let me know what you guys think, and feel free to give me suggestions as to what should happen in the later chapters!
> 
> Also, what do you guys think happened at the group home?


	3. Photos on the Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie gave Alex a small smile. He couldn't remember the last time he had a photo of himself hung on a wall. None of his other foster families even bothered to include him in their family pictures, and Caleb sure as hell didn't even bother to try and photograph any of the moments at the boy's home. Even his own parents didn't bother to take pictures of him growing up. They were always too preoccupied with their own lives and never took any happy family photos. 
> 
> To Reggie, this seemed like a happy home, one where he could actually be included in family activities. 

_Hey, this is Luke. I can't come to the phone right now, but you should probably just text me like a normal human being anyway._

Julie sighed in frustration. That was the fourth time she had called his phone, and there was still no answer. Luke was always over. Half the time, Ray couldn't even get the boy to leave. Yet, the one time Luke is asked not to hang out at the Molina residence, he is unreachable.

**Julie: 911 - You need to get here now!**

**Luke: I can't... I have mandatory family therapy**

**Julie: I don't care leave early. THIS IS IMPORTANT**

**Luke: my mom drove me here just so I couldn't do that 😒 besides, you haven't even told me what's going on**

Julie looked down at her phone for a few moments contemplating her next move. She knew if she told him that Reggie was here, then he would harass his mom into letting him leave and race over here, but at the same time, she wanted to see his face when he found out that Reggie was here. She glanced into the living room to find Alex and Reggie sitting on the couch. Reggie kept trying to squirm away from Alex, but Alex refused to let go. It was sweet. Luke needed to know that Reggie was safe now. 

**Luke: We're getting called back. I'll head over once this is finished**

Julie sighed as she saw the text from Luke. She couldn't believe that she had screwed this up. However, family therapy was one request his mom made when he came home, and at the moment, it was the only thing assuring her that Luke wouldn't run away again. 

"So, Luke will be over in a couple of hours," Julie said, walking back into the living room. "He has a family commitment that he can't get out of."

"Thanks, uh-" Reggie said, realizing that the two were never properly introduced. 

"Right, sorry. I'm Julie," she said, smiling.

"It's nice to meet you," Reggie said, giving a small smile. "I'm Reggie."

"Where's Carlos?" Ray asked, looking at Julie and Alex once he realized that he was missing a child.

Julie and Alex looked at each other for a brief moment. Both of them had a hint of guilt on their faces.

"He was kind of destroying the kitchen while we were cleaning up the cookie stuff," Alex said, looking over at Julie.

"So we told him to go see if he could sense any ghost around the neighborhood," Julie finished.

Ray gave Julie and Alex a disappointed sigh. 

"If it helps, we told him to be back by three," Alex said. 

"I guess we'll just introduce you to Carlos once he gets back," Ray sighed, turning to Reggie. "In the meantime, I'll show you to your bedroom."

Reggie slowly nodded his head as he grabbed his Walmart bag and got up off the couch to follow Ray towards his bedroom, with Alex not far behind. Reggie noticed a plethora of family photos plastered along the wall as the three made their way through the house. Most of the photos were of Julie, and a boy, whom Reggie assumed was Carlos, some of them included Ray, and others had the three of them with a woman he hadn't been introduced to. As they made their way up the stairs, Reggie stopped when he saw a photo of Alex, Julie, Carlos, and Ray at the beach. He looked at the photo and smiled briefly. They looked like a real family. 

"We took that photo on the first day of summer break," Alex said. "I had just gotten into the music program at our school, and we went out to celebrate."

Reggie gave Alex a small smile. He couldn't remember the last time he had a photo of himself hung on a wall. None of his other foster families even bothered to include him in their family pictures, and Caleb sure as hell didn't even bother to try and photograph any of the moments at the boy's home. Even his own parents didn't bother to take pictures of him growing up. They were always too preoccupied with their own lives and never took any happy family photos. 

To Reggie, this seemed like a happy home, one where he could actually be included in family activities. 

The trio stopped at the last room in the hallway. Ray smiled at Reggie as he opened the door to the bedroom. The room only consisted of a queen-sized bed, a small wooden desk, and a dresser, but Ray had planned to let Reggie make it his own over the next few weeks. 

The poor boy looked around the room in awe, immediately heading over to the bed to feel how soft it is. He let out a small yawn as he laid down on the bed and slowly started to make a bed angel.

"I thought we could go shopping tomorrow?" Ray said, smiling at how the boy was enjoying his new bed. "We can get some new bedding and a few decorations to make this room feel a bit homier once we get you some new clothes." 

"You don't have to do that," Reggie said, sitting up on the bed. "This is more than enough." 

"Nonsense," Ray said. "Besides, we were planning on heading to the mall tomorrow anyway. Julie and Alex want to finish some last-minute holiday shopping, and then we are going to pick up our Christmas tree." 

"If they have any left," Alex murmured. 

"I told you," Ray said, turning to Alex. "Rose and I did this every year. We've never had a problem getting a tree before." 

"Who's Rose?" Reggie asked. 

Ray went quiet for a moment before he turned to Reggie. "Rose is my late wife. She died about a year and a half ago."

"I'm sorry," Reggie said, looking down. "I shouldn't have asked. 

"No, no, Mijo, it's okay," Ray said, sitting down next to Reggie. "We've all had some time to process her death, but we're moving on. We always remember the happy memories that we shared."

"Okay," Reggie said, feeling a little better after asking about Rose.

"Well, um, I guess I will leave you to get settled for a little bit," Ray said, getting up off the bed. "I'm sure you and Alex have a lot to catch up on." 

"A-a-actually," Reggie stammered. "Would it be okay if I took a shower?"

"Of course," Ray said, walking over to the door leading to the Jack and Jill bathroom beside the closet. "Do you have any clean clothes?"

The boy timidly shook his head. 

"All of my clothes in here are dirty," Reggie said, gesturing to the Walmart bag on the bed. "But I can just put this back on; it's fine."

"Or you could just borrow something of mine," Alex suggested. "I know I'm a bit taller than you, but I'm sure I have something that would work."

"You don't have to-" Reggie started once again.

"-Reggie," Alex interrupted. "Let us help you."

"Sorry," the boy said quietly. 

"Right, so feel free to use any of the toiletries in the shower," Ray said, going through a mental checklist. "Do you have a toothbrush?"

Reggie shook his head. 

"What about deodorant?"

Again, the boy continued to shake his head. 

"That's totally fine. I have extras of all of that in the hall closet. Let me just grab that for you."

"Thanks," Reggie said as Ray walked out the door. 

"I'll go grab you something to wear," Alex said, walking out of the room as well. 

Reggie sighed as he started to fully process everything that had happened the past couple of days. He hated feeling helpless. Usually, he could at least bring the bare necessities with him to a new placement, but Caleb had made it practically impossible for him to bring anything with to Molina's. It wasn't fair.

"So I grabbed you a couple of towels, as well as shower-poof," Ray said, setting the toiletries on Reggie's bed. "Let me know if I can get you anything else."

"Thanks," Reggie said. "For everything."

"No problem," he said, giving him a warm smile. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything else."

Reggie gave Ray a small smile as he watched the older man walk out of the room and close the door. Reggie got up off the bed and slowly started to undress. Most of what he was wearing had been hand-me-downs from a couple of other boys from the group home, and while he was appreciative of the clothes he did have, he was kind of glad that he was finally going to be able to go shopping tomorrow.

 _Maybe this home will be different,_ Reggie thought as he walked into the bathroom to take a shower. As he went to place his toiletries on the counter, he noticed a rainbow unicorn onesie sitting on top of the toilet seat. _Yeah, this home will definitely be different._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I swear Reggie and Luke will be reunited in the next part. Reggie just needed   
> to get settled in a bit more before Luke completely bombards him, haha.   
> The next chapter should be out within the next couple of days! However, in the meantime, feel free to let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions or theories as to what will happen next.   
> I love reading your comments, even if I don't always respond!


	4. Not A Good Fit?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That was the same excuse every foster parent made when they called his social worker. He just wasn't a good fit. After five foster placements, he was finally placed in a group home. And as Caleb always said, "No family is going to want to adopt you after you've been in a group home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took me so long to update. I've been working more on Reggie's backstory and how this will affect his character and relationship with Ray moving forward. But I think I've figured it out and I'm excited for you guys to read this next chapter!

Reggie sighed as he felt the hot water run down his back. He couldn't remember the last time he had the privilege of taking a long hot shower. With Caleb, showers were always timed to conserve water, and usually, by the time Reggie was allowed his turn, the hot water had run out. Normally, that wasn't a bad thing, but freezing cold showers weren't exactly ideal when trying to relax before going to sleep.

As he stepped out of the shower and wrapped himself in the fuzzy towel that Ray had left for him, he started to wonder if all of this was too good to be true. Sure, Alex said that he was safe here, but what if they don't like him? What if they thought if he was weird or too hyperactive? What if they realized that he was a complete ditz and decided that they don't want to put up with that nonsense? I mean, it wouldn't be the first time a family had asked to have him removed because he somehow couldn't manage to think before he spoke. In fact, it's happened several times. Or maybe, just maybe, he wasn't meant to have a family. He somehow failed every attempt he's ever had to have a family so, who's saying he won't screw this up again. 

Reggie was seven years old when his parents decided that it would be a good idea to ship him off to Oak House, an all-boys boarding school about an hour away from Los Angeles. Reggie wasn't exactly sure why his parents had sent him away. It could have been because he almost flunked the first grade, or it could have been because his parents started fighting at all hours of the night. At the time, he was being optimistic and thought that the reason he was getting sent away was so that he didn't have to hear their insufferable screams late at night. But he was far from wrong. 

Reggie's mom was the only one to drop him off at school; his dad didn't even bother saying goodbye. She walked him to his dorm room, hugged him, and then said goodbye; she didn't even bother helping him unpack. Luckily, Reggie didn't bring that much stuff, so it didn't take him that long to put his clothes away. He did have a little trouble making his bed, but he managed to do an okay job after about thirty minutes. At first, Reggie was excited about his new adventure. His new school had a music program where he could practically learn any instrument imaginable and plenty of kids around his age that he could play with. He couldn't wait until his parents came to visit so that he could show them his new life. He didn't realize the real reason he got sent to boarding school until Fall break.

During the third week of school, Reggie had received an email from his parents telling him that things were swamped at home and that they couldn't come and visit him. He told them it was okay and that instead, he would send emails about his time at school. He didn't find that odd since most of his friend's parents didn't get to visit their children either. While Reggie sat in the computer lab with his friends to send updates back to their parents, he couldn't help but notice a significant difference between his friend's parents and his. His friends were getting responses to their emails. By the time fall break rolled around, all of his friends had talked about how they were going camping or going to Disneyland with their families over the break. Instead of getting an email from his mom about plans for a family trip, he was told by one of the dorm parents, Alan, that both of his parents were unable to take a week off to spend fall break with him. Instead, he was going to have to stay on campus during fall break.

Reggie could tell that Alan was not happy about having to cancel his vacation, but the two still made the most of their time together. Reggie spent his days inside the music room practicing the piano and watching youtube tutorials about playing the banjo, an instrument he got quite good at. At night, he and Alan would hang out in the television room and watch Star Wars. And for a while, during the school year, while all of his friends were spending time with their families, that was his normal. Just him and Alan alone in the school. He was pretty sure that his parents had forgotten about him.

The second time was when he was 9 years old and placed with his first foster family, the Smiths. Things were going well for the first couple of months; he was starting to make friends at school, he was getting along with his foster brother Dylan, and his foster parents didn't yell at each other at night. That last bit was the only good part about not being allowed to be with his parents. But, fifth grade was tough, especially since nobody bothered to help him with his homework. His foster parents assumed that since Reggie had spent two years at boarding school, he should be pretty self-sufficient when it came to his school work. But that wasn't true. He constantly had teachers or dorm parents helping him with his school work and ensuring that he understood the material taught to him. 

When his report card came in, his foster parents weren't pleased with his performance. They didn't understand; Reggie had gone to one of the best boarding schools in the state of California, he should have easily been able to keep up at a normal public school. Instead of changing how they approached his schooling, his foster parents continued to become angry when receiving a poor grade on a test.

"Why are you so stupid," they would always say. "This material is easy; you should be able to understand it." 

After a few months, the Smiths called his caseworker and told her, "Reggie just isn't a good fit for our family."

That was the same excuse every foster parent made when they called his social worker. He just wasn't a good fit. After five foster placements, he was finally placed in a group home. And as Caleb always said, "No family is going to want to adopt you after you've been in a group home."

"Okay, Reg, just don't get too comfortable," he said to himself as he was drying off. "This isn't permanent. They aren't going to keep you."

Once he was finished drying off, he quickly put on the underwear he was wearing before and changed into the unicorn onesie. He found Alex's brush and quickly ran it through his raven hair, hoping that the older boy wouldn't mind. Once he was looking presentable again, he turned off the light to the bathroom and went back into his new room.

********************************

Alex sighed relief as he walked back down the stairs and plopped down next to Julie on the couch. For the first time since he got to the Molina's, he could finally breathe easy knowing that Reggie is safe. He no longer had to worry if the boy was getting enough sleep or eating properly. He could finally rest easy knowing that Reggie was finally with a family that cared. 

"You look happy," Julie said, pausing the tv.

"Yeah," Alex said, giving Julie a small smile. "I'm just glad Reggie's okay. Luke and I were so worried, and we just thought-"

Alex paused for a moment. He never told Julie or Carlos about what went down at the Covington Home for Boys, and he liked that they were ignorant of the trauma that he had to endure. He didn't need Julie to worry about him, Luke, and now Reggie any more than she already was. When Alex first arrived at the Molina's, he could always see Julie's heartbreak whenever he or Luke talked about their past. She needed to keep her optimism about the world, and he didn't want to be the one to break that. 

"We were afraid that he was going to be stuck there until he aged out," he said, looking down at his hands. 

He wasn't lying; that was partially the truth; another part of him feared that Reggie had been fostered by another family that didn't want him, and he would continue to think that he wasn't good enough. He and Luke had managed to shake him out of that headspace while they were together, but he had a feeling that Reggie had fallen back into that mentality since they've been separated.

"Is he here?" Carlos said, running through the door.

"Yeah, he's upstairs showering," Julie said, smiling at her brother.

"Do you think he's gonna be a better big brother than you?" he said, eyeing Alex. 

Alex gave Carlos a small laugh and reached up to grab him. 

"Are you saying I'm not a good big brother?" Alex said, messing up his hair. 

"Stop it," Carlos said, laughing. "You're okay. But you're always hanging out with Willie."

"That's not," Alex paused; maybe Carlos was right. He had been spending most of his free time with his boyfriend since they became official. Maybe he wasn't spending enough time with Carlos? "Okay, you have a point. How about we have a movie night in the studio together on Sunday? Just the two of us."

"What about the new kid?" he asked. "I don't want him to feel left out."

"Do you want to invite him?" Alex asked, hoping the younger boy would want to include Reggie. 

"Yeah, let's make it a boys-only movie night!" Carlos said, nodding his head. "Luke's not invited, though.

"I like that idea," Alex said, squeezing the boy. 

"Did you guys give the new kid a tour of the house?" Carlos asked, escaping from Alex's hug. 

"Not yet. We just showed him to his room," Julie said.

"Then come on," Carlos said, running towards the stairs. "Let's give him the grand tour." 

"Not so fast, mijo," Ray said, coming into the living room. "I need to talk to you about something."

"If it's about the ghost hunting, Julie and Alex said it was okay," Carlos said, hoping he wasn't in trouble.

"No, that's not it at all," Ray said, motioning for him to take a seat in the living room. "Look, the new boy, Reggie, he was Alex and Luke's roommate while they were at the group home."

"Oh," Carlos said. His mood instantly started to deflate. 

"He hasn't had the best childhood," Alex added. "But, he's a complete goofball once you get to know him."

"Hmmm," Julie said, nudging Carlos's shoulder. "That sounds like someone else I know."

"So just be patient with him. Okay, mijo?"

"Got it," Carlos said, nodding his head.

"Anything else we should know?" Ray said, turning to Alex.

"He's not the sharpest crayon in the box," he said. "Like, he's incredibly creative and oddly good with numbers, but his common sense isn't always there. So, just don't give him a hard time about it. Okay?"

"Duly noted," Ray said, patting his leg. "I'm gonna go make some hot chocolate. Could you go and check on Reggie? Make sure he's okay?"

Alex nodded his head and got up from the couch to head upstairs. This would be a new chapter for Reggie, and Alex couldn't wait to be a part of it.

********************************

Reggie lingered in his new bedroom after his shower for a few minutes, hoping to have a few moments of quiet instead of immediately going to find Alex. He walked over to his new bed, laid down, and rested his head on the fluffy pillows. Reggie could tell that this room was obviously a guest room before he arrived. The plain white bedsheets and the lack of clutter had given it away, but he didn't care. This was the first time that he had his own room since he had lived with his parents. He no longer had to listen to the snores of strangers sleeping beside him, and he finally had more than just two drawers to store all of his personal belongings. He probably wasn't going to be able to fill all of his drawers up, but the fact that he had space to store things meant a lot to him. 

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Come in," he said, sitting up on the bed.

He smiled as he saw Alex walking in the door. 

"That looks adorable on you," Alex said, sitting down on the edge of his bed. 

"There are too many bright colors," Reggie said, looking down at the onesie. 

"I know," Alex said, smiling. "Why do you think I gave it to you?"

Reggie gave a small pout as Alex pulled the hood of the onesie on top of his head.

"Anyway," Alex said, getting off the bed. "Ray is making hot chocolate, and Carlos is back from his little escapade. He wants to give you a tour of the house."

"Do we have to go right now?" Reggie said, laying back down on the bed. "I'm so comfy."

Alex got quiet for a few moments before he looked back at Reggie. 

"Have you been sleeping?" Alex asked. 

"A little bit," Reggie said, still lying down. "I got to sleep in a bed last night, so that's a plus."

Alex took a deep breath. He couldn't believe that not having a bed to sleep on had become a normal act for the fifteen-year-old. Alex could never figure out why Caleb's punishments were always harsher on Reggie than anyone else. 

"That's not," he wanted to go on a rant about how not having a bed wasn't a normal thing for a kid. How he should be pissed that he had to endure two years of on and off cruel punishments, But that wouldn't help Reggie. What Reggie needed at the moment was a loving and supportive environment. "Okay. You know that's great that you got a bed last night. And now you get to have one every night."

"Yeah, hopefully," Reggie said, forcing a smile.

"No, not hopefully. You will definitely get to have a bed every night." 

Alex hoped that the boy would finally start to understand that this home would be different. That Reggie would finally have a safe and loving family to support him. But, the reality was that Reggie was going to need more time to know that. He would need to fully trust Ray, Julie, and Carlos before he could let his guard down again. 

"Come on," Alex said, gently pulling Reggie out of bed. "Let's go get some hot chocolate. I'm pretty sure there's whipped cream as well."

Reggie's head popped up at the mention of whipped cream. His eyes went wide, and he had a small smile on his face. Alex knew that Reggie loved whipped cream on his hot chocolate. One of his foster brothers used to put extra whipped cream on his hot chocolate after Reggie had a bad day at family court. It always brought back happy memories for him.

The two walked out of Reggie's bedroom and headed downstairs toward the kitchen. Reggie smiled at the comforting smell of hot chocolate as the two made their way into the kitchen.

"That smells amazing," Alex said, taking in a whiff of the sweet drink that was in the instant pot. "When will it be ready?"

"It's ready now, but I thought we could enjoy it after Carlos gives Reggie a tour of the house," Ray said, stirring the drink. "He'll keep bugging us about it until we actually get around to doing it. So, we might as well go ahead and get it over with." 

Ray put the instant pot into keep warm mode and lead the two boys into the living room, where Carlos was eagerly waiting for Reggie to come in. 

"Hi, I'm Carlos," he said, jumping off of the couch. 

The quick movement startled Reggie a bit, but the boy quickly calmed down once he realized the eleven-year-old was harmless. 

"Reggie," he said, giving a small smile. He couldn't understand why, but something about his new foster brother's hyper nature made him feel safe.

"Well, come on," Carlos said, gesturing for Reggie to follow him. "I want to give you a tour of the house."

While the house seemed big on the outside, Reggie was pleased to find that the house wasn't that fancy. It was large, yes, but it was still a simple family home. The downstairs consisted of the living room, kitchen, dining room, Ray's office, and a half bathroom, while the upstairs was mainly just bedrooms, bathrooms, and a storage closet that Ray needed to clean out. The clutter around the house really made it feel lived in and used. 

"And then out here in the studio," Carlos said, ushering Reggie out the front door and towards a smaller loft-style building next to the house. "This used to be where my mom played piano and wrote music before she died. Now, it's just where Alex and Luke hang out when they want some alone time."

"Ahhh," Reggie said, nodding his head before Carlos opened the door. 

Reggies eyes opened in wonder as he walked into the studio. In the middle of the room lay a beautiful grand piano. He started walking towards it when his eyes lingered toward the other instruments in the room. There was a beautiful electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, a bass guitar, and a shiny drum set. 

"Do you play?" Ray asked, walking into the studio and standing behind Carlos. 

"Yeah," Reggie said, giving Ray a small smile. His hands started to grace the piano. "Or at least I used to. I haven't really had the opportunity to play much in the last two years."

"Well, feel free to use any of the instruments," Ray said, taking in the studio. "Although, I would ask Alex before you touch his drum set. He gets a little territorial."

"Thank you," Reggie said. 

"Of course," Ray said, giving Reggie a small smile. 

As the three made their way out of the studio and towards the front door. Reggie noticed an old Volkswagen Jetta pull up into the Molina's driveway. The car came to an immediate halt, and a boy with a mop of brown hair jumped out of the car without even bothering to take his keys out of the ignition. 

"Reggie?" the boy asked, unsure if it was really him or not.

"Oh my god, Luke," Reggie said, sprinting toward the boy. 

The two immediately engulfed in a hug, much like earlier when he and Alex reunited.

"I have been worried sick about you," Luke said as he pulled apart from the hug to get a better look at the boy. "What the hell happened to your face?"

"Caleb," Reggie said, looking down at the ground.

"I'm going to kill him," Luke said, giving an adorable pout.

"No, you're not," Alex said, walking out of the front door with Julie.

"Yeah, I don't think you're even capable of violence," Julie added. 

"I am, too," Luke pouted. He turned to Julie. "Why didn't you tell me that Reggie was here. I would have just skipped family therapy?"

"Because," Julie said, giving a small pat on the chest. "Therapy's important. Now, go turn off your car and then you can come inside and join us for hot chocolate."

Luke glared at Julie as she ushered Reggie and the rest of her family inside the house. He gave a small huff before turning off his car so he could go and join the rest of the Molina family inside. Before he went into the house, he gave a small sigh of relief. While he didn't show his anxiety the same way Alex did, Luke worried sick about Reggie. Now that he knew the boy was safe, he could finally sleep easy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, this chapter was a lot longer than my previous chapters, but there was a lot that I wanted to cover before we move on in the story. I hope you guys are enjoying this though! Let me know what you guys think and feel free to leave your predictions and suggestions in the comments! 
> 
> P.S. This was just a sneak-peak into Reggie's backstory, you will definitely get more about his time in foster care as the story progresses.


End file.
